i agree with the first bit. but to say employment is high and everyone has aroof over their head is not right.

employment stats are high- thats because the liberals changed the way they were counted..now if u work any hours at all, u are counted as "employed".also, its never been more difficult to be able to purchase and own your own house...the liberal government caused a massive increase in house prices because they bouyed the economy but not spending on services and facilities, and selling assets.

now average joe cant buy a house and have a family live in it.

so although its been quite resilient, its on the back of digging holes in our land and dodgy stats...its hardly factual.

in fact many of our cities rank as the most expensive to live in- globally.

meanwhile the uber rich get uber richer and pay the same tax or less than what middle class australians do, banks are profiteering, there are more homeless and poverty stricken people than ever before.

as a result our people are looking after themselves more than ever- trying to get ahead at the expense of others- anything to get by...its becoming more and more like the US every day.

Good post. The last time I was home I was surprised by how stressed a lot of my friends were, killing themselves at work because they were trying to keep their heads above water. One friend of mine has basically said it's either continue to pay the mortgage where they are (Reservoir in Melbourne) or have another child. They can't afford to do both. People who have jobs seem to be spending a lot more time doing them than they did before.

I'm kind of sad that I missed the chance to own my own home in Oz. I had a good income and I always thought I'd buy something in a decent area one day, but I don't know that that's going to happen now. For all it's faults, the part of Germany I live in is pretty good in terms of standard of living.

Good post. The last time I was home I was surprised by how stressed a lot of my friends were, killing themselves at work because they were trying to keep their heads above water. One friend of mine has basically said it's either continue to pay the mortgage where they are (Reservoir in Melbourne) or have another child. They can't afford to do both. People who have jobs seem to be spending a lot more time doing them than they did before.

I'm kind of sad that I missed the chance to own my own home in Oz. I had a good income and I always thought I'd buy something in a decent area one day, but I don't know that that's going to happen now. For all it's faults, the part of Germany I live in is pretty good in terms of standard of living.

Takes longer than ever to pay off a home loan, but homes are still within people reach.

Bear in mind many people are buying fancy homes first time out, way out of their budget - when in the past first homes used to be very modest types of dwellings.

Couldn't agree more. My main consideration was location. I used to be a naturopath, and as callous as it sounds, people in outlying suburbs couldn't afford to come regularly. I made an honest effort to keep prices as low as possible, but you still have to pay rent, staff, medicines, utilities etc etc. I would have been happy with a one bedroom apartment - but in an area that would have been supportive for my business, even they were getting very pricey.

I'm hoping to leave Germany soon, but my wife and I were looking at a house here before Christmas. Completely renovated, built in 1400, an old monastery on a big block of land with 3 floors and 4 cellars. We would have paid the equivalent of $320 000 Aussie with nothing to do.

We didn't because it was too big for us and the real estate agent said if we found any old roman soldiers in the garden we were obligated to report it, and then suffer years of archeologists brushing away the backyard with their paintbrushes! And it was right next to the church. I like the bells - but not every hour of the day.

I'm hoping to leave Germany soon, but my wife and I were looking at a house here before Christmas. Completely renovated, built in 1400, an old monastery on a big block of land with 3 floors and 4 cellars. We would have paid the equivalent of $320 000 Aussie with nothing to do.

Sounds amazing. I wouldn't have minded buying an old country church when they first started putting those on the market years back.

Good post. The last time I was home I was surprised by how stressed a lot of my friends were, killing themselves at work because they were trying to keep their heads above water. One friend of mine has basically said it's either continue to pay the mortgage where they are (Reservoir in Melbourne) or have another child. They can't afford to do both. People who have jobs seem to be spending a lot more time doing them than they did before.

I'm kind of sad that I missed the chance to own my own home in Oz. I had a good income and I always thought I'd buy something in a decent area one day, but I don't know that that's going to happen now. For all it's faults, the part of Germany I live in is pretty good in terms of standard of living.

so the OZ life isnt that good anymore,is it better in germany??i didnt understand you,you said your friend said hes either to continue to pay the mortgage or have another child???wouldnt the sentence be better if you said that you freind said its either to dont pay the mortgage and have a child or pay a mortgage without having abother child

Lee will lead his people to independence and freedom and will be nominated as the first President of Australia !

No chance & is too late, a few years back there was a "get rid of the Queen" referendum & was knocked . O, by the way, Australia is the most doping policed country in the world so no chance for steroid boozer Lee !.

so the OZ life isnt that good anymore,is it better in germany??i didnt understand you,you said your friend said hes either to continue to pay the mortgage or have another child???wouldnt the sentence be better if you said that you freind said its either to dont pay the mortgage and have a child or pay a mortgage without having abother child

My friend said she and her husband combined have enough income to either continue to pay the mortgage where they live and not have another child, or sell the house, move further away from where they work and buy a cheaper house and then be able to afford to raise another child.

i wasn't very clear in my first sentence.

Is German life better than in Oz? Depends what you measure. I live in a pretty affluent part of Germany, and I used to live in a suburb called Armadale in Melbourne - also affluent. People where I live now have a lot more free time than anyone I know at home now, and they earn more. They have more holidays per year (6 weeks) than in Oz. They have to pay a lot more in tax and various compulsory insurances. Aussies have a happier outlook on life and can do a lot more outdoorsy stuff - the weather is a hell of a lot better.

One of the guys at my gym has a brother who lives in Perth. He said, according to his brother, Australians work a lot harder than Germans and have less money, but enjoy life a lot more. I tend to agree.